@Kermit1 books are better 99% of the time the 3 exceptions I can think of Are Shreck, Forest gump and the surprisingly awesome captain Underpants movie
Also on the topic of the captian underpants movie I went in expecting nothing and was very suprised that the movie based on kids books I was way too old to enjoy wasn’t good it was amazing
I have a few more examples, at least of those I've both read and seen:
Shutter Island
The Prestige
The Lord of the Rings
I know there are a couple of others, but I can't remember them right now.
Conversely, books that are better than the movie, imo:
Blade Runner
The Life of Pi
Annihilation (though the movie is great too)
@Gryffin
I've not read the LoTR since I was a child, but I couldn't even last the first film - and I think Braindead and Bad Taste are works of genius.
With Blade Runner and electric sheep, I think that they are very different from each other to the extent that the central thesis of each - humanisation / dehumanisation - is opposite.
I think the rule of thumb that books are better than their adaptation will always be true - with the exceptions that prove the rule of course.
For those -
Psycho, maybe? I was quite disappointed with the novel of the Exorcist, although it does have some evocative passages. The Shining, of course, and The Godfather.
Edit: Don't Look Now is better than the short story it's based on, but I'm not sure if that counts, as it expands it quite a lot IIRC
I was so disappointed when I read Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep, lol.
The quintessential example of a bad book becoming an amazing movie for me would be Perfect Blue. The original novel is a third-rate potboiler. The Satoshi Kon-directed anime movie adaptation, though? Perfection. One of the greatest thrillers of all time.
Currently Playing: Yakuza Kiwami 2 (PC); Unicorn Overlord (NS)
@EaglyTheKawaiiShika have you seen the old film (from the 60s I think), I saw it once and it followed the book pretty well from what I remember of it.
Also, I did a deep dive into film and found this video. One director he covered says "All narrative film writers should be shot", turns out snobs do still exist.
@EaglyTheKawaiiShika I don't like burning feelings in my throat, I'll pass. I'll probably be living with my parents because a new car is cheaper than a house.
@EaglyTheKawaiiShika I barely did any damage... Plus my grandpa just laughed it off... I was like 7 and not given many instructions so I did what any kid would and hit that gas pedal with everything I had.
This summer I finally got to drive a golf cart again and I didn't crash into anything. I'm still scared of driving though.
edit: for the speed I was going it goes to show how well Corvettes are made. Build like a tank lol.
I was so disappointed when I read Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep, lol.
The quintessential example of a bad book becoming an amazing movie for me would be Perfect Blue. The original novel is a third-rate potboiler. The Satoshi Kon-directed anime movie adaptation, though? Perfection. One of the greatest thrillers of all time.
Oh that reminds me! The Girl Who Leapt Through Time, the anime. My favorite movie of all time and MUCH better than the novella. The live action adaptation from 1987 is also super good.
@Gryffin
I've not read the LoTR since I was a child, but I couldn't even last the first film - and I think Braindead and Bad Taste are works of genius...
...I think the rule of thumb that books are better than their adaptation will always be true - with the exceptions that prove the rule of course.
For those -
How about LotR as one those exceptions? I'm not someone who would fawn over the films and see no wrong, but I'd still rather watch the films than read the books. They're such a chore to get through. A great story, but not brilliantly written.
The Hobbit, on the other hand... yeh, book please.
Recently watched Samaritan on Amazon - a Sly Stallone film where he plays a reclusive superpowered dude. Had my suspicions before watching, given that I'd never heard of it and that it was an Amazon exclusive (they're pretty much always ropey, I think) and... yeh, my suspicions were justified. Its not too bad to begin with, enough to keep me watching, but by the end it was indeed ropey.
Watched the film adaptation of Matilda The Musical in the cinema today. This worked opposite to Samaritan by getting better as it went along. I think it could have been really great with a bit more time out into a lot of the songs. The first half of the film has a lot of singing and feels drawn out without actually having any notable songs. Could have done with trimming a bit and having catchier songs. The only great song is right near the end, so it ends well but just has an element of 'what might have been' about it because overall it's a good production, just lacking enough spark.
You guys had me at blood and semen.
What better way to celebrate than firing something out of the pipe?
@Gryffin
I've not read the LoTR since I was a child, but I couldn't even last the first film - and I think Braindead and Bad Taste are works of genius...
...I think the rule of thumb that books are better than their adaptation will always be true - with the exceptions that prove the rule of course.
For those -
How about LotR as one those exceptions? I'm not someone who would fawn over the films and see no wrong, but I'd still rather watch the films than read the books. They're such a chore to get through. A great story, but not brilliantly written.
The Hobbit, on the other hand... yeh, book please.
I would still go with the book of LoTR being better than the film version, IMHO, but indeed, you couldn't argue that Tolkien wrote stylish prose.
I reread the Hobbit recently for the first time in decades, and it was incredibly tonally uneven - some passages are written in a jolly kids book style, while others are done in his portentous, pseudo-historical way. Quite jarring, I thought.
Watched Enchanted on Disney+ tonight. Mom and I were going to watch Disenchanted, the sequel, but we never saw the original, so we watched that instead. We had a great time with this one, I think mom may have had a bit more fun as she grew up in New York. Loved the twist at the end too.
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